Addressing Climate Change Residency

The Bellagio Center sought candidates for 2024 who are working on projects that will address the global climate crisis. Successful applicants will change systems, incentivize nations, and provide pathways to mitigate and adapt to the worst effects of climate change. We were especially interested in addressing the challenges faced by low and middle-income countries, which bear the least responsibility for creating this crisis yet face the greatest risks.

The Addressing Climate Change Residency is for a multidisciplinary range of stakeholders advancing projects with the potential for breakthroughs. Academics, artists, journalists and writers, policymakers, and on-the-ground practitioners were all welcome to apply. All applicants will be required to describe a concrete project which addresses the theme and clearly links to their expertise.

Areas of interest:

• Health Systems – How can we help poor and vulnerable communities prepare for and adapt to the changing global disease burden due to climate change? How can we ensure pandemic preparedness in the face of climate-induced changes?
• Energy Systems – How can we accelerate the transition to clean energy across the developing world? How can we ensure that increased mining for minerals such as lithium or cobalt needed for renewable energy systems unfolds in a just and equitable manner? What role should nuclear energy play in an overall energy portfolio?
• Food Systems – How can we use regenerative farming techniques, climate-resilient crops, and dietary changes to address the climate crisis?  How can we prepare global food systems to be resilient in the face of increasing droughts, to prevent famine and food shortage? How can we mitigate food loss and waste, reducing emissions due to agriculture?
• Financial Systems – How can we accelerate the creation of well-functioning carbon markets? How can we increase financial flows to accelerate key climate investments from philanthropy and development finance organizations globally, especially in the global south?  How can we ensure communities at the front lines of climate change are front and center in the global policy and financing forums addressing climate change?
• Environmental Systems – How can we use nature-based solutions to mitigate emissions, and improve resilience through co-benefits? How can we create inclusive governance and policy structures for the appropriate use of geo-engineering tools to address climate change?
• Protecting the Poor and Vulnerable – How can we prepare and build resilience within global urban population centers for new challenges such as deadly heat waves and continuous exposure to heat?  How can we build regional and multinational frameworks to mitigate regional conflicts due to increased patterns of migration and climate refugees?